A pair of offensively-challenged three-win teams from a season ago will face off to open up the regular season, but one of them is the clear favorite. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will host the Tulane Green Wave in Week 1 of the college football season and enter as better than two touchdown favorites to start the season off on the right foot. Wake Forest has many key pieces back on an offense which hopes to begin making positive strides in NCAA football gambling.
Watch this regular season Week 1 matchup live on Thursday, September 1, 2016, at 6 p.m. ET at Groves Stadium - Winston Salem.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tulane +17
Wake Forest -17
Over/Under 43
Odds Analysis
The heaviest action getting taken on this game is the “under” on the point total. Tulane was one of the lowest-scoring teams in the nation a season ago while Wake Forest hasn’t averaged more than 20 points per game in four years. The points total is low for a college football game but there is reason to believe the 43 points won’t be hit.
Matchup to Watch
Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford was 142-of-235 for 1,791 yards and nine touchdowns with 11 interceptions a year ago. In order for the offense to improve he must become a more impactful piece. He was recently named the starting quarterback after a competition and will aim to start fast in order to cement his spot as the main signal-caller. He has some top weapons back in the passing game. Tulane gave up 36.2 points per game last year but does have three potential standouts returning in defensive tackle Tanzel Smart, linebacker Nico Marley and defensive back Jarrod Franklin. The Green Wave needs improvement on both sides of the ball, and it’s possible that this is a good matchup for the defensive group.
Coaching Angle
Tulane has a new coach in 2016. Willie Fritz has coached at Central Missouri, Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern during his career and has amassed a record of 154-69. Fritz has the Green Wave program excited about the future, but even if he eventually becomes successful, it could take a while to turn around the results. Fritz runs the triple option out of spread formations on offense, which will chew up the clock and is another reason why choosing the “under” is a smart play. Tulane lost starting quarterback Tanner Lee because of the change in offense, as Lee was more of an air-it-out signal-caller. The Green Wave will have a new quarterback under center and some inexperience in other areas, so it could be a slow start to the season.
Free ATS Pick
Wake Forest had a tough season a year ago but also faced a host of top teams. The Demon Deacons are the more talented group despite these two teams having identical records in 2015. The team would love to take a step forward and become bowl-eligible in 2016, and beating Tulane is essential to start it off. Wake Forest’s offense has many more returning starters than Tulane, and that could be particularly important since this is the first game of the season.
The Green Wave aren’t expected to win that many games this year as the program continues to rebuild. If they can pull out this win it would be a big upset. That’s unlikely to happen, but covering is possible. The defense should be able to keep the game close enough as the spread is a too large and Tulane is the right bet. The majority of the bettors are on the right track on the scoring total as well. Even though Wake Forest should be improved on offense this year, the Demon Deacons aren’t super exposive and the “under” is the way to go in NCAA football gambling.
College Football Odds: Wake Forest 27, Tulane 14
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